A yarn guiding apparatus wherein yarn holding members, each having a pushing down edge at an end portion thereof for pushing down a yarn, are provided for advancing and retreating movements between a plurality of needles and sinkers provided in rows such that, when each of the yarn holding members is advanced, such yarn holding member can be engaged with a yarn being supplied to a needle from a yarn carrier or already knitted and extending between needles and positioned, when a needle is advanced, such yarn into a hook or to the rear face of the needle developed by the applicant of the present application and disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 8-13293.
However, where such a yarn holding member, as disclosed in the specification mentioned above, is itself moved forwardly and backwardly, in a horizontal direction, to engage a yarn pushing down operating edge, provided obliquely at an end thereof with a yarn to push down the yarn to a predetermined position, a sliding resistance is produced, between them and unnecessary tension is applied to the yarn. In order to push down the yarn to the predetermined position, it is necessary to either make the stroke of the yarn holding member large, or make the inclination angle large, to make the pushed down amount of the yarn large. However, if the latter is adopted, in order to make the knitting machine compact, then the inclination angle of the yarn pushing down acting edge must be made large, and a high resistance is applied to the yarn, when the yarn is pushed down. Further, the yarn which is engaged with the operating edges of left and right yarn holding members is pushed down in a condition bent in a zigzag condition while the yarn is kept taut. Consequently, in such a situation, the yarn is kept in a position higher than the aimed pushed down position and cannot be pushed down to the aimed position. This is likely to occur where a yarn does not slip well or when the knitting speed is high. Therefore, it is desired to prevent a high sliding resistance from being supplied to a yarn, when the yarn guide member pushes down the yarn.
Taking the foregoing into consideration, it is an object of the present invention to provide a yarn guiding apparatus which can guide a yarn without making advancing and retreating movements of a yarn guiding member for guiding a yarn into a hook of a needle, or to the rear face of a needle in a horizontal direction large and can guide the yarn, when an operating edge at an end of the yarn guiding member is engaged with and pushes down the yarn, in such condition that the yarn is slidably moved and a high resistance is not applied to the yarn.